Meanings
verbmau-mau (third-person singular simple present mau-maus, present participle mau-mauing, simple past and past participle mau-maued)
present singular third person mau-maus · participle present mau-mauing · participle past mau-maued · past mau-maued
- transitiveTo menace through intimidating tactics; to intimidate, harass; to terrorize.
It was my first experience with the phenomenon that would later be called "mau-mauing the flack catcher."
2005, Béla Szabados, Once Upon a Time in the West
Origin
From Mau Mau, the name of a group of anti-British insurgents in Kenya, who were noted in Europe for their (alleged) extreme violence and brutality.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
mau-mau. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mau-mau
MLA
“mau-mau.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mau-mau. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mau-mau,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mau-mau.
Source: mau-mau on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.